


Far From Purrfect, but Good Emeowth

by PolarKraken



Category: Home Movies (Cartoon)
Genre: Cat Ears, Comfort, Cuddles, M/M, Pre-Relationship, cat play, idk dawg take it or leave it lol, platonic cat play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22576918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolarKraken/pseuds/PolarKraken
Summary: Being a first time cat owner can be challenging, especially when this cat usually drinks coffee with you in the teacher's lounge.
Relationships: Ronald Lynch/Coach John McGuirk
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Far From Purrfect, but Good Emeowth

Coach McGuirk was playing with some loose threats on his sofa cushions while he was low-key dreading Lynch’s arrival at his apartment. Yeah, okay, they had a long talk about all this and it wasn’t like he didn’t know what to expect, but he was still incredibly nervous. What had he gotten himself into again?

“It won’t be sexual!”

Lynch had consoled him, but it would still be odd. When this guy had distracted him from his apple strudel a couple of months ago, just to start licking him in the teacher’s lounge, he would’ve never thought that he would indulge him in this behaviour any time soon. McGuirk’s shifty eyes wandered around the barely tidied room while he was sighing heavily. 

They had become quite close, considering how their interactions were at first. They had become friends of sorts and while he was happy about this turn of events, he was also a bit uneasy. There was a lot he could mess up with other people, they were unpredictable after all. A good example was Lynch, who had been dismissive and condescending of him for so long just to develop a strong bond with him, just because they had been drunk in _Mehico_ this one time. Even the failed double date had ended in them bonding in the car. Since then it had become easier and more fun to talk to him. And during these talks, Lynch had opened up to him. Which was stressful. 

“I- I don’t really have anyone who would do this for me, so McGuirk, would you mind helping a friend out?”

He had asked and while the coach usually was reluctant to exert any effort, he couldn’t really say no easily, especially not when these bedroom eyes looked at him so sadly. So yeah, he had agreed on doing a _pet play session_ , which wasn’t the weirdest thing he had ever done for someone else. Lynch seemed to be especially high strung recently, and he had explained over some beer the other night, how doing this sort of stuff helped him wind down. And how it was a lot better when someone else played along.

It had been awkward. Even though Lynch had opened up and made himself vulnerable like that, the night had ended in him reassuring McGuirk that he wouldn’t have to do anything he didn’t like. At least he would be able to back out if it would become too freaky.

He didn’t have much time to overthink the situation any further, when it finally knocked on his door. His limbs felt like noodles while he was getting up, the sinking feeling of nervousness in his guts making him gulp. He straightened his tracksuit jacket and went to answer the door. As expected, Lynch was standing in front of him, wrapped up in a jacket and scarf in muted colours, smiling almost shyly, carrying a small unassuming tote bag in his right hand. McGuirk was staring at him, taken aback by the way he was carrying himself. He was so different than usual, more relaxed, but at the same time more emotional. The fluffy clothes on him made him look smaller than he was, which triggered some protective instincts in him. Remembering the first impression he had of him, being this aloof, slightly arrogant bookworm, he could barely believe what he was seeing right now. It was quiet for a few moments, the cold December air wafting around them, before his friend broke the silence.

“Hey McGuirk, thank you again for this. Can I come in?”

Woken up from his trance he quickly returned back to reality.

“Shit, yeah of course, mi casa es su casa and all that.”

“Still working on your Spanish I see? I feel honoured.”

He grinned amused and brushed past him, their arms touching for a short moment. McGuirk slid the door shut to turn around, seeing this proper square stand in his messy apartment. How surreal. He admired this sight, when Lynch turned around.

“Let me know if you want any more lessons.”

“Nah, I’m good.”

He simply answered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck while chuckling at him. Lynch mirrored his gesture and they fell quiet once more. McGuirk snapped himself out of it this time however.

“Ah, please, sit down, you want a drink or something?”

Lynch’s gaze wandered to the sofa and then grazed the dark window shortly as if he was pondering something, before he returned his half lidded eyes back to the coach.

“No, I’m okay. Can we… can we just start right away? I was kind of looking forward to it. Actually, I was looking forward to it a lot, so…”

Wow, he was _keen_! McGuirk had to get used to this. Seeing Lynch of all people be so needy was a real treat, so he wanted to savour it as much as possible. He nodded patronizingly and plopped himself down on the sofa, motioning for the teacher to join him. Lynch followed his invite, getting rid of his coat and scarf, now only wearing his usual shirt and pants combo sans the bowtie, sitting next to him, looking at him straight ahead. He seemed to be agitated while he was clutching his bag.

“What’s in there? Did you actually bring your costume you weirdo?”

Lynch laughed at the insult, before he was shaking his head and retrieved a pair of cat ears and some mini chocolate cookies from it. 

“I didn’t want to go all out on our first time, so I thought we could take it slow. Are you okay with taking the lead from now on? You’re my owner now, after all...”

He seemed to be very dithery, the last words trailing off while he was moving erratically and McGuirk was still a bit confused. The fact he mentioned that this was their ‘first time’, as if this would happen more often from now on didn’t help as well.

“Uh-uhm, sure I can do that. Will you be talking during all this? And what do you want me to do?”

Lynch blinked at him, the air seemingly vanishing out of him. He put the cat ears on nonetheless, which made him look only a bit less ridiculous than when he had the full costume on. He then placed the cookie package on the makeshift table, before he spoke again.

“Can’t you remember? We talked about this. Do whatever you’d do if you had a cat. And I’ll talk if you prefer that, I don’t mind either way.”

He came a bit closer, cocking his head ever so slightly.

McGuirk never had a cat before, but he had some idea what this could entail. It could be seen as weird, doing play-pretend with another grown man, but in the end they were just having harmless fun, so he tried to get over himself. He had promised him to do this, so no chickening out now.

“Al-alright. I think I’d like it if you talked, just so we can still communicate. It’s my first time after all and I don’t want to mess it all up. Just tell me if I do something wrong right away, yeah? You’ll be my first pet which I don’t have in a glass bowl, so this is all very new and-“

He stopped his rambling when he saw the impatient look on the other’s face. He was pressing his lips together and McGuirk could tell he tried his hardest to stay calm. He got the hint and sighed, finally getting himself in the right headspace.

He wondered what he’d do if there was a cat sitting next to him like this, staring at him with expectant eyes. Obviously, that was the wrong way of thinking. There _was_ a cat sitting next to him, and it clearly wanted attention. He couldn’t suppress the huffing when he moved his hand to carefully place it on top of Lynch’s head, who perked up at the contact. It seemed that was the right direction. He watched him while he started to gently pet him, which actually produced a smile on the other’s face. 

“Does that feel nice, little boy?”

He asked, feeling silly, but this question made Lynch nuzzle against his palm and nod, which made it better. 

He caressed through his blond hair, ruining the slicked back strands, running his fingers behind his ear to massage him there more, making sure not to touch the headband. Lynch lifted his hands, forming them into kitty paws, not unlike when he had harassed him in the teacher’s lounge, just this time he wasn’t out to annoy him. 

He moved himself closer, pushing his forehead against his chest, his hands resting on his lap. McGuirk’s personal space was once again invaded, but he was okay with it. That’s what they were here for after all. 

“What a needy kitty you are…”

He mumbled, both his hands on the smaller man now. It was fun to tease him like this, even though he sadly didn’t get offended. Instead Lynch just meowed and then turned his face upwards again.

“Yes, give me more cuddles!”

He demanded, so McGuirk did as he was told. He turned him around so he could lie in the crook of his arm, cradling him like someone would a very spoiled pet. Lynch seemed to enjoy this closeness and pressed himself more against his chest, his hands on him kneading the fabric of his cheap t-shirt. Up close, he looked especially tired and McGuirk could feel how his breathing was a bit laboured. His eyebrows wrinkled up in concern. He didn’t want to be too obvious about this, so he started to rub the smaller guy under his chin, which made him giggle. 

Now that he was thinking about it, there was probably something rather major going on in Lynch’s life, that he needed this kind of attention for comfort. Not to mention that he was seeking this from a colleague instead of a closer friend. He wondered if the teacher was probably as lonely as he was. He observed his face, the bloodshot eyes now closed in contentment, a little smile curling his lips while he did his best purring-impression. 

His fingers moved to massage the back of his neck, which prompted Lynch to hide his face against him, snuggling his forehead into his chest. He could say so many mean things right now, but this moment right now basically screamed for silence and for once he kept his big yap shut. The smaller body against him was getting more and more lax, so he leaned back himself, not stopping his stroking, while he closed his eyes, just feeling the weight of the other. He had forgotten how grounding it could feel to have someone else rest on you. It’s really been way too long. 

It broke his heart that Lynch could probably be in the same boat as him. How long has it been since someone had held Lynch like this? Not because he wanted to be a kitty, but because they wanted to show affection? He would probably ask this later, there was no point asking a cat about things like this. 

He cracked his eyes open, just to see the package of cookies on the desk, behind the curled up teacher on his chest. He could go for some, but he knew they weren’t for him. Instead he turned his face downward to see Lynch still hiding there. 

“Does kitty want some treats?”

He rumbled lowly, which made Lynch look up, his hair a mess, but his face flushed and happy. McGuirk actually felt a bit proud that he was able to calm him down like that. 

“Yes, gimme treats!”

Lynch demanded in a high pitched voice while he was rubbing his forehead against his cheek. Who could say no to something like this? McGuirk moved, making sure to hold his cat tightly to get the treats, opening the package and Lynch proved himself surprisingly nimble, when he pushed himself through his arms to get to the package himself. Obviously, this was naughty, so the coach had to intervene. 

“Hey-hey! You can’t have too many, you only get one, so hold still!”

He scolded him gently and chuckled when he saw Lynch pouting at him. 

“Kitty wants all the treats!”

He said, pulling on his jacket, but McGuirk stayed stern. 

“Only one, don’t want you to get fat.”

He took one of the cookies out and put the package down so Lynch wouldn’t try to steal any more. His kitty actually laughed at that, the paws rubbing down over McGuirk’s round stomach, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh you think you’re funny, huh? Fine, two can play that game!”

Instead of feeding Lynch, he threw the cookie into his own open mouth, granting him some protesting noises from the other, but he was undisturbed. Instead, he turned him around once more, tickling over his belly, smirking at him. He would’ve gotten lost in the feeling of his hands against the warmth of another person, but Lynch was too playful and started to claw at his arm.

“Not fair, kitty wants treats!”

He exclaimed, so McGuirk used this as a teaching moment. He stopped tickling him while he answered.

“Okay, gimme a lick and you get one!”

He pointed at his cheek, turning his face so Lynch could reach easier and he was surprised how quickly and without hesitation his cat obeyed. There was one small, slightly wet lick on his cheek, followed by another one, this time a bit longer. Before it could go on much more, McGuirk turned his face, making Lynch lick his nose by accident. They both yelped in shock before they fell into laughter. 

“You’re not clever, you only get one treat, even if you licked me more! Naughty boy!”

“It was worth a try, kitty loves… treats, meow!”

He answered, blushing a tiny bit. McGuirk shook his head, reaching for another cookie. He held it in front of his cat, who sniffed at it for a second, before he snatched it from his hand with his mouth, munching on it happily. McGuirk observed him, barely able to comprehend that he was handfeeding Lynch of all people, but nonetheless, it felt good, he felt accomplished. The cookie was eaten in no time, so his cat was simply leaning his head against his chest again, one of his paws playing with the whistle around his neck. McGuirk felt a weird sting of anxiety rise up inside of him, not really being found of someone touching his whistle, but he made himself stay calm. This was Lynch after all, he could trust him and he seemed careful enough, only playfully pawing at it here and there. 

“You having fun there, little buddy?”

He asked, his voice calm and relaxed without him even trying which made his cat look at him again. There was still a pronounced tiredness in his features, but the agitation he had seen come through before was gone. Lynch rubbed himself against him again, his eyes practically admiring him, which finally made McGuirk feel a bit self-conscious.

“Yes, you’re lots of fun.”

He stated, matter-of-factly, smiling at him, before hiding his face again, burying himself into his chest, pulling the whistle with him. McGuirk could feel the slight tuck on the string around his neck, but didn’t mind it much. Instead he turned around and properly lied down, holding Lynch steady with one arm, so he could brush over his back with the other, feeling him push against it, while he snuggled himself on him more comfortably. His eyes wandered outside, the darkness of the cold winter night only broken by the flickering street light. It would’ve been a dreary view, but somehow, with Lynch’s warm body on his it was comforting, knowing he was in here, keeping his friend safe, making him happy. And all it took was a pair of cat ears and some cookies. Who knew? 

“Thank you, John….”

Came muffled from below and the coach felt a lump forming in his throat. Instead of saying anything and giving away how affected he was he just hugged him tighter, nuzzling his chin against the other’s head. This could definitely happen more often, for sure.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter under [@GenteiJanken](https://twitter.com/GenteiJanken)!


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